


Welcome home

by aramoana



Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Actor Tom Hiddleston, Established Relationship, F/M, Meet the Family, One Shot, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-19 05:28:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22305967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aramoana/pseuds/aramoana
Summary: Emma and Tom have known each other for a few months, but a special occasion in Emma's family prompts the couple to go back to her homeland, in the Italian countryside. Time for Tom to meet the family... how will it go?
Relationships: Tom Hiddleston/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Welcome home

**Author's Note:**

> For my second one shot, a change of scenery was required.  
> As always, English is not my first languange... but thank goodness for my super beta whi keeps reading and listening to my mad ideas!!!  
> Let me know what you think... and enjoy the ride!!!

Emma loved driving, especially in the countryside. She always did it with the window halfway down, so she could feel the wind in her hair. It gave her a sense of freedom and carefreeness like few other things in her life. As always, she was smiling, while quietly humming along to the song playing on the radio. She had one hand firmly gripping the steering wheel, while the other was lazily tapping on the gearshift.  
The fields of sunflowers and alfalfa run alongside each other, creating a splendid contrast with the blue of the sky, which was clear in the late Italian summer morning. It had rained the previous day, enough to bring the temperatures down. Earlier in the morning a light breeze had started blowing, which cleared the sky and kept the heat at bay. It was what Emma would describe as a perfect day to be back home.  
She had left the small village where she had grown up surrounded by her large family 13 years ago, in search of her dreams and a future that the place she would always call home could not give her. She had landed in London with the eyes of a 23-year-old ready for adventure, a luggage packed with a few clothes and an old map of the city in her hand. Her optimism and love for life never faltered, even when the obstacles of her day-to-day life started challenging her. There had been countless auditions where her talents never seemed enough. The rent for the flat she was sharing with two other girls needed to be paid and the small gigs she was getting were not covering all the costs. Instead of locking herself in her room and sulk, she worked twice as hard.  
Now, at the age of 36, she had managed to achieve her goal, and become a professional dancer. It was not ballet, or anything that pompous, but still. Performing each night for the public in a musical in the West End gave Emma incredible joy. Her job was her passion and she was giving her 100% with each performance, draining all her energies by the end of the day, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.  
It was thanks to one of her colleagues, Albert, that about 6 months ago she had met Tom. It was meant to be a simple night out at the pub to catch up with some of Albert’s mates from drama school, but that’s when they first met. Emma was totally unaware of the fact that the tall and handsome guy whom she had been exchanging “war stories ” with all night was a movie star. He introduced himself simply as Tom, an actor currently starring at the Pinter theatre with “Betrayal”.  
In recent years, Emma had been so focused on her career that she had had no time to go to the cinema. She had never been fond of superhero movies either, which made it easy for Tom not to be recognised as Loki, for once in his life. For Tom this was so unusual, especially when talking to someone in the same area of work, that he thought she was politely avoiding the topic. It took him a while to understand that she really had no idea who he was.  
The conversation had been one of the most pleasant and refreshing ones he had in years; Emma was a spark of enthusiasm, especially in regard to her profession, and more than once Tom found himself laughing at her anecdotes. She was extremely intelligent and witty, stubborn to a fault and ambitious. Tom found himself deeply intrigued by the woman in front of him and was determined to get to know her better.  
That night they exchanged numbers, with the promise to set up a date for a later meeting.  
It was only on the following afternoon that Emma had learned that she had been talking and mildly flirting with one of the most eligible bachelors in show business. This piece of information made her hesitant to contact him; she was not glamorous, nor the type of woman to follow her man around the globe and be showcased around like a trophy.  
When she mentioned it to Tom, on a grey Friday afternoon over lunch, the actor explained Emma that he had not disclosed his fame as he wasn’t fond of that status himself. He became an actor out of passion for the craft - the movies and TV shows were just an added bonus to him. What he had always wanted was to do theatre and succeed enough to make a living out of it, and maybe have the chance to perform in both the West End and Broadway.  
They both had had difficult relationships in the past due to their job, and they were not that naïve to believe that, given the amount of time they spent on their respective careers, they could cultivate a relationship. However, the attraction between them was obvious. They both agreed on taking things slowly, without pressure of any kind.  
What they did not expect was the simplicity with which their relationship grew: clandestine lunches became a habit. On the Sunday of the West End Live celebration, Tom surprised Emma by going to Trafalgar Square and watching her perform, to which she reciprocated by going to one of his matinees (as they differed from hers), and showing up at the stage door like one of his fans. The expression of his face the moment she appeared in front of him had been priceless and Emma had to restrain herself from laughing. She simply congratulated him and asked him to sign the program of the play. While heading towards the theatre to get ready for her show, she opened the booklet on the page that Tom signed, and she found a note under his autograph.  
From one fan to another. See you after the show for dinner at the usual place. Tom Hiddlestonxxx  
Then the unexpected happened. The run of “Betrayal” had been so successful, the company had decided to transfer the show to Broadway no less. Tom was utterly gobsmacked by the news. He was not going to turn down the opportunity. The rest of the cast was similarly excited, with Zawe, Charlie and Eddie due to reprise their roles as well.  
Emma was obviously very happy for the whole group, which she had briefly met. She had thoroughly enjoyed the play when she saw it, and she knew how much this meant for the production, especially Tom, who was like a kid on Christmas morning. However, she had started growing quite fond of her time with Tom, and once he had left for New York surely their relationship would take a different turn.  
Once again, she was pleasantly surprised by Tom when he invited her to visit him, once production was well on the road. She had plenty of holiday days to take, and she had always wanted to see New York in the fall. So, she accepted his invitation. As she had anticipated, she was able to get enough days in October to have the week off and fly to the Big Apple.  
However, before that, she had one special day coming up: the 90th birthday of her grandmother back home. She had been looking forward to that trip for months, and she knew the whole family would be there for the big day with a big party taking place at her parents’ house. Emma had only four days to spare, but they were more than enough to go back home, celebrate her grandma, and go back right on time for her evening performance.  
Emma was aware that she would be coming back the day before Tom’s departure for the USA to start the production, but he did not even mention it, knowing how important the trip was for her.  
Two weeks before her departure, Emma was on the phone with one of her sisters, Chiara, finally admitting to her that she was seeing someone. That provoked quite a ruckus and after Emma explained the situation to her sister, she replied: «Why don’t you invite him here? ».  
At first, Emma was contrary to the idea, saying that it was far too early for a family introduction, but the more she thought about it, the more that idea didn’t sound that crazy.  
When she asked Tom, he was a bit taken aback, but he nonetheless accepted the invitation. He quickly arranged for flights, while Emma informed her family, who was overly excited. Not only would they meet the guy who was now officially considered Emma’s boyfriend, but there would be an extra guest to the party, which meant more food and a reason to make it even more spectacular.  
Emma shook her head in disbelief upon hearing what her mum was preparing. It looked like the Queen was on her way to their household in the Emilian countryside and there was no way to calm her down. However, the best remark came from her grandmother, who, after getting as much information about Tom as possible, stayed silent for a couple of minutes before stating (in dialect) «He better be eating like a human being, or I’ll put him to sleep with the rabbits».  
On the day of the departure, they boarded the plane separately, with Tom trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. He did not want to ruin the trip by being recognized and getting himself on the cover of some gossip rag.  
Once landed in Bologna, they both retrieved their luggage and made their way towards the parking where Emma’s car was waiting for them. Tom offered to drive, but Emma didn’t want to hear a word about it. The actor had to concede and took instead the passenger’s seat, enjoying the view that was being displayed in front of him.  
It didn’t take long for them to reach the house, which was surrounded by fields. At first Tom thought they would end up right in the middle of one, but soon the house started coming into view. The brick walls had been kissed by the sun long enough to give them an antique rose colour. The typical red rooftop blended in perfectly and the green shutters situated on the second floor, contrasted harmoniously with the ensemble.  
On the side, Tom noticed two other buildings, probably used for storage, although one was for sure a former stable.  
While Emma was parking the car on the side of the house, a young woman carrying a small baby girl on her hip arrived at the door. She was accompanied by an older man, dressed in a pair of muddy trousers and linen shirt, and a small boy.  
Emma turned to Tom.  
«Are you sure you want to do this? » she asked him. «I can still turn the car around and get you back to the airport. These people are nutcases on their best days. »  
Tom chuckled, unable to hide the tiny bit of nervousness he had started to feel. «I’m sure they’re not that bad. Still, I got used to you. They cannot be much worse. » He teased her.  
Emma swatted playfully his arm, before exiting the car. She was immediately tackled by the small boy, who run to her squealing with happiness.  
In the next hour, Tom had met what it seemed to him was the entire household. From Emma’s parents, to her brother and two sisters, with their respective children, passing through the husbands and wives, Emma’s aunts, uncles, cousins, and finally her grandparents. Her grandmother quickly commented on his physical appearance, deeming him too skinny, and in need of proper food.  
Everyone had been extremely welcoming towards him, and even though the older generations didn’t speak a word of English, both parts were trying their best to communicate, with some help from Emma who was doing her best to translate everything. There had been no mention of Tom’s profession, even though he was pretty sure Emma’s siblings and her nephew knew what his day job was.  
After all the introductions were made, Emma’s mother, Teresa, accompanied them upstairs towards her daughter’s room, letting them settle things down. Lunch would be ready in about an hour. Like the rest of the house, Emma’s room was very simply decorated, with an old-fashioned dark wardrobe, a black wrought-iron double bed, and two bedside tables of the same colour of the wardrobe, upon which two simple lamps were positioned. It felt very cosy. It reminded Tom a lot of Emma: so simple that her inner and outer beauty shown even more brightly.  
During the rest of the day, the actor realised how the whole family was the exact representation of that concept. He felt like he had been transported to another time, where the rush and stress of the outside world was a distant echo. In that house, every minute was precious and savoured carefully like a good glass of wine.  
Their hospitality never ceased to amaze him, and during lunch, he was presented with such delicious food, he could not resist having a second helping of everything. When the time for dessert finally arrived, he could not resist the temptation: he had a sweet tooth and knew he would regret this during costume fittings in New York, but in that moment he couldn’t care less.  
Emma’s grandmother, Evelina, was so ecstatic at the sight of Tom’s appreciation of her cooking, that he took her granddaughter to the side and told her to keep hold of that man, as he was “one of the good ones”.  
In the afternoon, Tom was enrolled in the kitchen and taught how to prepare a proper ‘ragù alla Bolognese’, and how to make fresh pasta from scratch.  
In the meantime, Emma was with her brother and father, setting the table for dinner. Then, she went with her nephew to the garden to find flowers for the table. Once she had all she needed, she went to the kitchen to get a vase for the flowers. When she arrived, the sight presented to her made her smile. Tom was at the table, bent over the rolling pin and covered in flour. Sensing her presence, he raised his head, and a few strands of hair fell over his face. With a white hand, he unceremoniously put them back into place.  
Emma grinned at the sight, getting closer to him. «You’ll be needing a proper shower before dinner.» She said, cleaning a spot of flour that had landed on his forehead.  
Tom observed her intently and he quickly pulled her against him, holding her with his hands around her waist.  
«Fancy joining me?» he teased, dropping the tone of his voice a few octaves. He knew exactly what his strong features were, and was not afraid of using them, especially when they turned out to be Emma’s weak spots.  
«You might want to rethink your proposal. My family might be expecting a marriage soon after that.» She retorted, raising one eyebrow.  
Tom didn’t seem too phased by that statement. He smiled and got closer to her. «I’ll take my chances» he replied, before brushing his lips against hers.  
They were both interrupted by the arrival of Emma’s brother, Vittorio. «No idea that’s how you made tagliatelle» he said.  
Emma simply shook her head, looking at Tom with a told you so expression, before going to get the vase she had come to take in the first place. Passing next to her brother, she punched his shoulder. Vittorio groaned and his sister grinned satisfactorily before leaving the room.  
About half an hour before dinner, both Tom and Emma had the chance to take that shower, which they took together, as per Tom’s suggestion earlier. You could hear the sound of their laughs while they were trying to spray each other with cold water echoing through the whole house. Teresa and her husband smiled fondly at those sounds; seeing their daughter so happy and in a relationship with a lovely guy who matched her spirit so well was heart-warming.  
Dinner went like lunch, with the only difference that wine flowed far more easily. By the end of the meal, all diners were slightly inebriated. More than once glasses were raised in honour of a member of the family, and their achievements. Even Tom was toasted to, for being the first man who Emma had brought home since she had left Italy and for having the guts to deal with her stubbornness , or at least that was Evelina’s opinion according to the translation Vittorio did for him. Emma had refused to explain him what her grandmother had said, after blushing profusely and saying something in Italian that sounded very much like a complaint to his hears.  
At around 11pm, after one last round of nocino (a liquor made from nuts which Tom simply loved) the party slowly went back to their houses, saying their goodbyes with the promise of seeing each other for the big birthday party the following evening.  
Emma and Tom tried to help her parents to clean up, but they were ushered away by Teresa, who send them towards their beds, saying that they needed a good night sleep, given they had been up since the early hours. Bidding everyone goodnight, the couple climbed the staircase leading upstairs.  
Snuggling close to him under the covers, Emma smiled at Tom. Her sister’s idea had turned out to be a good one for once.  
«What did your grandmother actually say when she toasted to me? » he asked her. «I have a feeling your brother gave me a sugar-coated version of it. »  
Emma blushed once again, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. She had been very grateful for her brother’s help in that moment, and she had hoped Tom had taken those words as facts. However, being such a talented actor had made him a keen observer of people’s behaviours. He was really good at reading people once he got to know them, and very little escaped his eyes.  
«You really don’t want to know…» she said.  
«Yes, I do. It cannot be that bad. » he noted, entwining one of his long legs with her to get more comfortable.  
«I wouldn’t be so sure» was her reply. She raised her head slightly with an apologetic face before speaking again.  
«She called you a nice piece of ass, a bit skinny but with great potential. » She told him, blushing profusely. «And she added that with the horrid food you get in the UK, there’s no wonder you are like that»  
Tom giggled, amused. «She is quite something, isn’t she? »  
«She is getting worse with every passing minute» Emma commented, shaking her head.  
«You love her, and she just wants to see you happy… beside stuffing you and everyone else with food»  
«I think you’ve made quite an impression on her today. Even my impossible brother likes you…» said Emma. «Is there anyone on this world who does not get charmed by your manners? »  
«My sisters… without a shadow of a doubt» answered Tom, noting how Emma had not excluded herself from the previous sentence.  
«Then I should definitely meet them. It will be refreshing not seeing a woman swooning at the mere sight of your face. »  
Tom smiled. «I think you actually should. I met yours… maybe you should meet mine. » He stated.  
Emma looked at him for a moment. Then she snuggled back against him.  
«Maybe…»


End file.
